When the economic crisis was really starting to kick in and the government had decided it really was high time people started paying for things again, there was a report on the news about water supplies…

A dear old dear from somewhere ‘up north’ in the mountains of mainland Greece was being interviewed about the situation. She was outraged because, after all this time, she was being asked to finally settle her water bill. ‘Why should I pay for water?’ she said, ‘it comes from God.’

Well, I was feeling a bit that way yesterday too as the rains came in. It was like autumn had suddenly struck. The warm weather evaporated, the thunder rolled in, there were a couple of big bangs, and the house was warmer inside than the air was outside. I even went back to long trousers and a fleece. You can see from today’s photos that things can change very quickly around here, weather-wise.

Only the day before, Lyndon had come around to check out a piece of plumbing for us and is, as I write (Tuesday) out there looking for the correct join. This is for the rain water collecting system that Andreas, the landlord, has ingeniously put in place. When it rains, like it is doing right now, the water runs off two flat roofs and drains into a pipe. This leads down and out and around, and joins another pipe, and then drops down and in to the ‘workhouse’ where it travels along until it meets a large tap. When this is off the water just stays there and, I assume, finds another way off the roof. But when the tap is open, the floodgates are opened, and the water pours into the sterna beneath the office, as it is doing now.

And it is doing so now because, while waiting for the correct join in the pipe, I made up my own. We had a T joint lying around but with the down section wide open, so the water poured straight through. A pair of socks and some tin foil soon sorted that out, and in the rain, I went out and stuck the thing back together. So far the socks are holding and the water is being redirected into the tank. Nice and free and exactly what Mrs Up North would approve of. So, ta for that God, if I’d known I wouldn’t have taken four hours of town hall ‘to be paid for’ water yesterday, but it’s never very expensive so I don’t mind.

The weather today (Tuesday) may put paid to our plans to go to Yialos to see accountants and do business things, and it might even prevent us from attending the opening night of Taverna Zoi, unless it clears up enough for the taverna to finish making ready and for us to safely venture outside. But hey, at least we’re filling bottles for future plant watering and the new plant (thank you Jenni!) is getting nicely watered. I’m glad I am not traveling today, it’s not windy, just very, very wet.

Now, I must remember to turn the water input device tap to the off position or else the sterna will overflow somewhere, and I don’t like to think where that somewhere may be. Mind you, I seriously doubt that the sock and tin foil arrangement will hold the pressure of the water with the tap off. We shall bite nails while we wait and see. Well, there’s not a lot else to do around here when it’s raining.

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It’s still only May and already the diary is filling up! Monday evening: friends around for drinks and to see the new house.

Tuesday afternoon: online meeting with the Editor. Tuesday evening, Taverna Zoi is opening and we are booked in for a meal. Saturday evening we are invited for drinks. Next week we have another evening at home with friends… It’s a wonder we get any time for any work.

Monday morning the alarm went off at 5.45, though I was already awake. Not because of the Alarm Cat, he went on the night before and didn’t come home until around half eight in the morning, quite early for him. He seems to be enjoying his new neighbourhood now, but I’d love to know where he goes. Anyway, I was up early and went straight out, this time towards To Vrisi the monastery on the side of the hills overlooking the Pedi Valley.

It was a great Symi sunrise, as you can see from the photos.

I’m looking forward to my trip to Tilos which isn’t until the end of the month. The other day people were asking when I was going, then some thought I had gone and come back, and then someone asked me again when I was going so I volunteered to go tomorrow if they were that keen to get rid of me. Don’t know why I said I’d go at the end of the month, thinking of pay day I guess. But still, less than three weeks and I shall be away.

I’ve been working on the new book bit by bit when I can, but what with all these visitors and blog posts and housework, and trips to Yialos for things, and dinners and so on, it’s a wonder I’ve got anything typed at all. But I am doing what I can when I can.

And that includes today, so now I am cutting myself shorter than I usually am and heading off into novel land. Have a nice day!

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I’ve not doing brilliantly on my personal targets of late, though keeping up what I can. Not as much written of the new book as I would like, last week, but I did manage two early morning ‘strenuous’ walks, and two Kali Strata assents, one while weighted down with shopping.

Neil’s had a busy weekend. There’s this new thing in Greece now (he says; it may not be new at all, but it’s new to me), where anyone who works with food and drink has to take a compulsory seminario (course) over two days. This teaches you all about health and hygiene, and there is a certificate you have to gain in order to work legally in a bar, café, restaurant taverna, creperie, supermarket, kafeneion, or anywhere that involves food/drinking.

That all sounds like a very good idea to me, but then I am not paying for it. Each person has to pay €80.00, or their employer does, and when you think how many people work in these kind of places (including hotel staff, canteen staff…) that’s a lot of money going into, I assume, the government. Another way of Greece clawing in some much needed revenue?

Anyway, Neil was there Saturday and Sunday morning, and he stayed the whole course – some people registered, and left pretty smartish, apparently. If you get found working without this certificate there’s a hefty fine. As there is if you get found working without all the correct paperwork, and that takes several days and Euros to arrange as I saw last year. But when it’s all done it’s all done and legal, and that’s what counts.

And it did make me think, do you have the same things when you go for a bar job in the UK (or other countries)? It’s not just the safety course, but last week he was over in Rhodes having a chest X-ray and a… hmm, what shall we call it…? A ‘yesterday’s dinner’ test; he need to get things certified from the doctor here saying he doesn’t have anything nasty, and that’s all on top of the strange work permit papers everyone must have (even Greek people I am told) which cost another €3.00 in ‘tax’, and all that jazz. I’m sure you don’t have such stringent rules in place elsewhere. Maybe you do, and quite right too.

At least in Greece you (should) know that when your moussaka is served alongside your ouzo that the person giving it to you is not also giving you TB with a helping of dengue fever on the side.

Well, there’s a lovely thought to get you off to a good weekday start, and another reason for visiting Greece; it’s a very healthy pace to be. Sun, sand, sea, swimming, relaxation, fresh food, and waiters free of scurvy. Book now I say.

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I’ve not been sleeping brilliantly of late for a couple of reasons, the main one being the nocturnal habits of the old Alarm Cat, Jack. It goes like this:

Off to bed, cat’s asleep on the sofa, all well and good. At some point, a few hours later, I wake to hear this click-two-three-four, click-two-three-four coming along the corridor; one of his claws is longer than the rest, and I’m a very light sleeper so it doesn’t take much. There’s then a little paws (ha ha) and then I feel the weight of a rather large cat landing by my feet. He usually settles down there and all is well.

But only for a few hours. During that time I’ve tried to get back to sleep but the hay fever sufferer nearby sounds like a coffee percolator, and the earplugs I have are pretty rubbish really. (Note: must by those decent, yellow Earfit ones – anyone heading this way soon? Will pay you back. Note to note to self: look on eBay you lazy git!)

I’m just back in the happy land of dreaming when I feel this movement creeping up from the foot of the bed; a cat stealthily making his way towards my head. I push him back down again, gently. Dozing off nicely when… here he comes again, this time slower, as if that makes any difference. So I push him down a little more firmly and head back to dreamland. Not the funfair in Margate, that’s ‘Dreamland’ with a capital D, but to sleep, perchance to…

No chance. Cat leaps onto my back to try and catch me out, cat goes flying onto floor.

Pause. Repeat from the part when he jumps on the bed again. This time he stays by the feet and I can just see the light coming in as the dawn starts to break. And by now I’ve got that incessant noise in my ear (not the percolator this time but a clicking sound) and I need the loo. But I fight that all off and try and doze again, which I do quite well until I suddenly wake up, open my eyes, and there’s the cat, on the bedside locker, staring at me out blinking. I close my eyes, turn over, and try and get back to sleep. The coffee is once again percolating by now.

A few minutes later and there’s the feeling of something heavy landing on the bed beside me. The sound of hopeful purring starts up. A quiet whine makes its way through the earplugs and a paw touches the back of the head. Ignore it. Pause. Cat sits on my head. ‘Oh for *$%!’s sake cat…’ Get up and give the cat his breakfast.

This is anywhere between 4.30 and 6.00 in the morning. However, on Wednesday night he went out, and while he was out and about we shut the gate so he stayed out in the ‘hood all night. Gloriously quiet in our house that night and in the morning. He came back again in the afternoon, had something to eat and settled down. I think this could become the new routine.

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A few recent, random photos today…

And, because you can never have enough sunrises…

The day trip boat, the Nikolaos X came in for the 1st time yesterday with a long blast on its horn. It’s been done up and now looks very new.

And while I was there I thought I’d try an experiment with the binoculars:

And finally, us all lined up in ’42nd Street’ from the dance show. Thank you to Sevasti for letting me use this photo.

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